Stringed musical instrument



April 7, 1931.

will m1 inn.

J. H. LARGE STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 25, 1928 Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN H. LARGE, OE CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL CORPORATION, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Application filed April 23,

This invention relates to a musical instrument having a plurality of strings stretched over a resonator, an object of the invention being to provide means for shifting the supporting point for one end of the vibrating portions of the strings so as not only to change the pitch of the strings, but also to produce a marked change in the timbre of the notes given out by the strings when vibrated. This object of the invention is attained by alternatively supporting one end of the strings either on a bridge located on a solid portion of the body of the instrument, or on a supplementary bridge mounted on the cover portion of the resonator which forms a part of the body of the instrument. In the latter case, the vibrations of the strings are transmitted mechanically to the vibratile cover portion on which the supplementary bridge is mounted, so that a louder and relatively harsher tone is thus produced. An instrument embodying the invention may thus be made to resemble in tone quality either a harp or a banjo, according to the location of one of the end supports for the wires. I

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for damping and keeping silent certain of the strings to produce chords by vibration of the other strings, when a pick or equivalent playing instrument is drawn across all the strings. For this purpose, simplified dampers or mufiler bars are provided, these bars being so hung as to engage the strings with evenlybalanced pressure throughout the length of the bar, this being accomplished by relatively simple structure.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description of an embodiment thereof illustrated on the drawing, of which Figure 1 is a plan view of an instrument embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 of Figure Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

- Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary longitudinal sections showing modified forms of a part of the invention. 1 P

1928.. Serial No. 272,076.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross section similar to Figure 3, showing a modified form of structure for the mufiler manuals.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 10 represents the body of a musical instrument from which extends a neck 11 which is integral therewith. The body and neck together may, as shown on the drawing, comprise a hollow resonator having a bottom plate 12, side walls 13 extending around the periphery of the body and neck, and a top member 14. The latter may be apertured as at 15 for resonance. The side walls 13 are preferably sufli ciently substantial to provide necessary stiffness for the instrument as a whole. The portion 16 of the side wall 13 which is at the end of the body portion remote from the neck, may be made of extra width as shown in Figure 1 to provide a direct support for a bridge 17 over which the strings 18 pass be fore being secured as at 19 to the body of the instrument. The other ends of the strings 18 may be secured as at 20 at points adjacent to the free end of the neck 11. The strings having a higher pitch must as usual be successively shorter than those having lower pitch. In order however, to avoid the necessity of extending the fastening elements 20 too far down the side of the neck 11, the strings may be successively shortened to some extent at their other end by inclining the bridge 17 to the axis of the instrument. This arrangement affords room for a set of muilier manuals for use in playing the chords on the instrument extending across the neck of the instrument without unduly lengthening the neck. According to the invention, a supplementary bridge 21 is provided, this bridge being arranged parallel to the bridge 17 and spaced therefrom. The bridge 21 is mounted on a portion of the top member 14 of the body which is not directly underlaid by any portion of the side Walls 13. The bridge 21 is provided with a removable spring-engaging member 22 which as shown may comprise a metal rod adapted to rest in a suitable longitudinal groove in the upper surface of the base member of the bridge 21, these elements being so arranged that the rod 22 when in place supports the strings 1'8, but when re-'- ly undcrlaid by the portion 16 of the side,

walls 13, the strings l8give forth a relatively quiet tone similar in quality'to those of a' harp. .Vhen, however, the strings are sup-- ported by the bridge 21 whichis not under laid by any portion of the side wall 13, the" vibrations of the strings are directly andmechanically imparted to the vibratory top member 1 10f the resonator so that the-strings when played give forth a distinctly louderand somewhat harsher tone. Thus by the insertion of the rod 22, the instrument may virtually be changed'from a harp or guitar to the equivalent of at banjo or the like. The supplementary bridge 21 may be constructed in a variety of ways besides the particular one shown in Figure 1. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the bridge may comprise a bar 23 pivotally supported at its ends and provided with a metal piece 24 extending along an edge thereof. This bar may be swung from its-operative position as shown by full lines in Figure 4' to an inoperative )osition indicated in dotted-lines. lVhenthe bar is inoperative position, the lower edge thereof rests directly on the'top member 14 of the instrument. Another modified form is illustrated in Figured this form being a bar similarto the one shown in Figure-4, but pivoted on its mid axis rather than on an axis nearer to the-surface of the-member 14. This bar is rockable between its operative position as shown in f ull -lines wherein the upper edge supports the strings 18 and the lower end rests directly on the-top member 14, and its inoperative position wherein it is out of contact with both thostrings and top member.

In order to facilitate the playing of chords on the instrument, a set of muflier manuals may be provided, these bars being'supported from one sideof the neck to theoth'er'side thereof and being manually operable to damp certain of the strings and'keep them silent. hen all the strings are plucked,- thestrings which are not damped beingt'lius sounded to make a desired chord. The muflier manuals herein disclosed are-of improved and simplified construction. Each manua l may coinprise a rigid member 25 which may conven iently be in the form of an inverted metal channel member. In the embodiment illus trated' in Figure 3', thisme m'ber isroekabl'y supported as at 26' at one end-thereof; A bar 27 isaloosely' fitted witl hechannel" and is supported" atsubstantially its mid point '28 to rock witl iin themha re-1. In'orderto er: mit sli'ght necking men-en or die Bar 27 within the channel 25, the bar 27 is tapered from approximately its mid point toward one end, the lower edge of the bar being straight. On this straight lower edge are mounted a plurality of suitable damper pads 29 which may be'of felt or other suitable material and which. areadapte'd to rest against certain of the strings 18 when the manual is depressed to operative position. In order to hold the manual resiliently in-its elevated inoperative position, suitable spring means maybe'pro vided. T o thisend, each manual may be provi'ded'with a leaf spring 30, one end of which maybe secured as'at 31 to a side wall 32 of the housing which contains the manuals. The free-end of the springz3O may-be passed about the pivot member 26 and may rest against the under face-of the channel member 25, thus 'pressi-ngzthe channel member upwardly; A stop= block-38 is providml above therighthand'cud of'the bar 27- (as viewed in Figure against which the endof the bar engages when it is raised by the spring: 30 actingsthrough the channelmember 25 and the pivot pin 28. T his. stop block preventsthe right hand end ofit'herbar from rising. toofar wl1en the bar itself rises, andthus: holds the harm a horizontal position: when it iseleva'ted The housingfor' the manualsnnay comprise a; pair of end walls'32 'mountedvon the sides: of the neck- 11' of the instrument; and 21 cover tablet 33 supported on the walls 32"'and extending over the strings: from 1 one side o f'the nee-k te the otherz This tab-let'cov ers all the manualsand protects them from injury'andfromj dust; In order toena-ble the operatorto depress the manuals to operative position, each; manual may be provided with a suitable plunger 34 -having a finger piece 35 whichinaybe pushed. The lower end" of the plunger-3a rests o-nthe upper face ofthe channel member 25'. Sui-table indicia to indicate the nature of the chord which is sounded when any-one of the'damper bars is d'epressed, may be placed either on the-top of the fingerpiece 35*or on the face of'th'e tablet'33 at a p'oint adjacent-to the plunger 34. Inorder to simplifyconstruction, thepivot member-26 may, as shown in Figure 2, comprise a single rod extending through all the channel members25 and being in turn supported at=its ends by one of the end walls 32 of the manual housing.

modified form of action is illustrated in Figure 6; In this form, a pair ofstrips 37 are shown in'p'lace of'the cover 33 illustratedin the other form. These'str-ips are mounted respectively on the two side walls 32, and their inward edges projectover the edges of the walls. The channel members 25 are' ofsuflicient' lengthto extendf'under the strips 37 at both ends and to-engage thennder faces thereof when in elevated position.

Thereis 'n'o mechanical connection between I between the channel member 25 and the bar 27. lhe latter is pressed upwardly against the channel member by any convenient means such as a pair of compression springs 38 bearing against the under face of the end portions of the bar 27. The bar 27 in turn presses the channel member 25 upwardly against the two strips 37. A suitable finger piece 39 may be mounted on the channel member 25 at any convenient point. When the finger piece 39 is pressed, the left hand strip 3? acts as a fulcrum for the channel 25 and the latter bears on the bar 27 at or near its mid point, forcing the latter down against the springs 38. These springs raise the bar and channel member when the finger piece is released. This embodiment of the invention provides an exceedingly simple but reliable action. The use of strips 37 in place of a complete cover 33 is not restricted to the form of the invention shown in Figure 6, but is equally possible in the form shown in Figure 3 in which case a fixed finger piece 39 would replace the separate finger piece 35.

Having thus described certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A musical instrument having strings, a body comprising side walls and a vibratile top member supported thereon, means mounted on said top member directly over a porti on of said side walls for supporting one end of the vibratory portion of the strings, and supplementary means for supporting said strings at points spaced from the first men tioned support means, said supplementary means being mounted on a vibratile portion of said top member and including means for engaging and disengaging said supplementary means and said strings.

2. A musical instrument having strings, a body comprising side Walls and a top member thereon, a bridge for said strings mounted directly over a portion of said side walls, a supplementary bridge mounted on a portion of said top member not supported from beneath, and means for bringing said supplementary bridge into and out of supporting engagement with said strings.

3. A stringed musical instrument having a body comprising side walls and a top member supported thereon, a bridge mounted on a portion of said top member directly underlaid by said side walls, and an auxiliary bridge comprising a base member mounted on a. portion of said top member not directly supported from beneath and a removable string-engaging piece between said base and the strings.

l. A musical instrument having strings, a hollow resonating body comprising side walls and a top member supported thereon, a string-supporting bridge mounted on a portion of said top member directly underlaid by said side walls, and a supplementary bridge parallel to and spaced from the first mentioned bridge, said supplementary bridge having a base mounted on a portion of said top member not supported from beneath, and a removable string-engaging member between said base and the strings.

5. A musical instrument having a hollow body with a side wall and a top member on said wall, a hollow neck extending from and integral with said body, a plurality of strings extending from points adjacent to the free end of the neck to points adjacent to the further end of the body, a string-supporting bridge mounted on a portion of said top member adjacent to said further end of the body and under-laid by a portion of said side wall, said bridge being inclined to the axis of the instrument, and a supplementary bridge parallel to the first mentioned bridge and supported on a portion of the top member not supported from beneath, said supplementary bridge having a portion movable to leave the strings unsupported thereby.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature.

JOHN H. LARGE.

lit; 

